Discuss the latest comic book news and front page articles, read or post your own reviews of comics, and talk about anything comic book related. Threads from the two subforums below will also show up here. News Stand topics can also be read and posted in from The Asylum.

Kingston University teacher Will Brooker created superhero Cat, star of his new book, My So-Called Secret Identity, as a "feminist approach [to comic creating] from the ground up, in terms of story, character, artwork and production" after seeing all of the half-naked, huge-breasted female characters gracing the covers of comic books in his local comic shop. The heroine, who is depicted as a smart, capable, and fully clothed young woman, was meant to attract young female readers, normally repelled by the stench of male solitude, to comics readership.

Things couldn't have gone more wrong, as the comments section underneath the Guardian UK article about the comic illustrate:

"Not sure the come-to-bed-eyes are doing quite what they could for dismantling gender stereotypes. On the other hand, I'm very glad she's studying for a PhD and I wish her every success," said one commenter, who apparently believes a drawing wants to sleep with him.

"It's just a massive coincidence that she's a sexy girl with perfect skin, nice tits and lovely hair, then?" asked a comment by someone named The Spider, who we imagine is either a current or future serial killer.

"Incidentally, should the comic take off I'm predicting a SuicideGirls cosplay photo set within six months," he added, wishfully.

Our favorite comment, however, is this one, which seems oblivious to the past year of constant attention paid to the lack of female representation in the comic book industry (original spelling and grammar left intact): "Maybe just maybe then girls should get of their collective arses and write their own comics geared to their own interests rather than relying on male writers to pander to their needs."

To test our theory that male comic book nerds are so sex-starved that they will be attracted to anything at all, we gathered a small group of dorks and showed them photographs of a tree, a golden retriever, a load of bread, and the effects of cigarette smoking on lungs.